Framing/Composition

The film spends most of its time experimenting with techniques in regards to structure, graphics and chronology, all of which are present in the opening sequence. The framing/composition in the opening sequence in particular, highlight the chronology of the film. The film jumps between the past and the future to help explain how the couple fell in love and what, if anything, went wrong. The old home videos of protagonists; Tom and Summer that are shown, resemble the past. The director's purpose in going back in time was to represent the film's purpose - "a guy remembering a relationship"(Director Marc Webb). The old home videos are the beginning to Tom's remembrance of this relationship, used to show how it all began. Coincidentally playing the beginning of the relationship at the beginning of the film, fits perfectly with the use of chronology and portrays the film's message; a post modern love story that is never what the viewer expects it to be. 


The intentional cropping of frames during the old home video scene of the younger Tom and Summer, is created by using a lower camera position. For example when Tom is running towards the camera, holding his mother's hand the camera is positioned lower, consequently Tom's mother is cropped and only her legs can be seen. The low camera position is also evident when the shot of Summer's birthday is shown. The frame is shot level with the table and Summer, causing the contents on the table to be cropped which illustrates how Summer's view of the table is limited due to her height. This dominant cropping allows the audience to see the younger Tom and Summer's point of view (POV) as they begin to experience the world. 

Contrastingly other frames from the old home videos are shot from a higher camera position looking down at Tom and Summer, subsequently cropping the bottom half of their bodies. For example in the frame where Tom is jumping off plank, the camera is positioned so that it is looking down at Tom causing half his body to be cropped. Similarly when Summer jumps off a slide the same camera positioning and consequential cropping is apparent. This deliberate high camera positioning and cropping makes the camera act as Tom and Summer's parents which fits with their POV. Tom and Summer look up to their parents for guidance and support as they grow up and enter this world.

The camera positioning and intentional cropping subsequently create a visual absence of adults, which emphasizes the presence of children, and shapes the viewer's emotional response into happiness and hope, that other techniques can not. Character/Performance for instance could not show this subtle representation of POV. For example, the high positioned camera shots of Tom dancing and waving in the kitchen, and Summer feeding the ducks deliberately cause their lower bodies to be cropped and a mid shot to be created. This reinforces the importance of the younger Tom and Summer's POV, which could not have been created by Character/Performance alone, and shows how each of their childhoods are the beginning to a twisted journey of highs and lows that doesn’t quite go where the viewer thinks it will. Undoubtedly this is the realistic in today's society, hence viewers can relate which is the utmost purpose of the film. 

Genre/Atmosphere

The enchanting story of Tom and Summer is effectively captured through the use of mis-en-scene, music and camera shots. The director, Marc Webb creates a tone of pursuing happiness. This then sets a mood of excitement and hopefulness.

The use of mis-en-scene emphasizes this joy and optimism. The first part of the opening is made up of a park scene. A wide angle shot is used to capture Tom and Summer on a park bench. This gives the viewer hope that this will be a happy story because of the fairytale-like appearance, which is portrayed throughout the film up until the turning point. From the wide angle shot there is a transition into a close-up of Summer and Tom's hands holding, this introduces a romantic element to the scene. In continuation with the enchanting mood, mystical yet pleasant music is played. The music is relatively slowly paced creating a warm but pondering mood. Over-top of the music a narrator is explaining the story of Tom and Summer. The dialogue is simple, yet told in a fairytale-like fashion; "this is a story of boy meets girl".

The narration is continued through to the next scene back at day one, when Tom and Summer are introduced. Gradual close-up shots of Tom and Summer's faces are used, as well as an over-shoulder shot of Summer looking in a mirror as a child. However during the mirror shot the viewer feels sadden by Summer's expression and the narrator's dialogue regarding Summer's disbelief of love. As the joyous music fades out the narrator says "however you should know up front, this is not a love story", this puts doubts in the viewer's mind, however the pause in music and narration emphasizes and strengthens these doubts that the movie may not be a fairytale after all.

In the final scene when the credits begin to roll, the viewer is taken a-back by the sudden joyous music returning. However this music is louder, and at a faster pace creating excitement and "butterflies" for the viewer for what is about to happen. The viewer begins to question if the fairytale is going to return. Their question is answered as soon as old home videos of Summer and Tom growing up are shown, and the viewer comes to the realization that there will be a happy story, or at least some happy part to it. There is an extreme close-up shot of the "younger" Tom's eye opening and the "younger" Summer's eye opening. This represents optimism, that there will be a happy ending to the story. The screen is split so that the viewer can see both Tom and Summer growing up together, Tom is on the left, Summer right. A mid-shot is shown of both Tom and Summer smiling so that the joyous mood is restored. A long-shot of Tom splashing around at a beach and Summer going down a slide at a park is shown. Again happiness is  portrayed as well as a unity being created. This unity is continued when the next shot is of Tom looking back over his shoulder at the camera, Summer is doing the same. The following shots are of Tom and Summer's achievements as they grow up, such as Tom learning to play the guitar and Summer learning to ride a horse. These shots symbolize hope, the viewer is given hope that these young children will grow up to be great. Finally, the last two videos are shown, one of Summer blowing a dandelion towards the frame of Tom's video and Tom catching the bubbles coming from the frame of Summer's video. This gives the viewer the sense that there will be something fairytale-like about this story but as the music fades earlier doubts return to the viewer and they begin to ponder what will be the twist to this love story?

Reason for Selection

A narrator explains "this is a story of boy meets girl" and Tom Hansen of Margate, New Jersey is introduced as a man who believes "he will never be truly happy until he meets the one". A flash back of Tom in his younger days is shown. Summer Finn of Shinnecock, Michigan is then introduced by the narrator as a person with the opposite beliefs to Tom, due to the separation of her parents as a young girl. A flash back of Summer in her younger days is shown. The original scene of Tom at his work is returned, and Summer and Tom meet. Opening credits begin to roll and old home videos of Tom and Summer growing up are shown.

The opening sequence is a quirky introduction as to what is going to take place in the film. The opening describes how "a story of boy meets girl" is going to be told, however there will be a twist to this story; "you should know up front, this is not a love story".

This opening sequence and film appealed to me because they tell a story of love rather than a love story like most other romantic comedies. I also found the opening interesting because of it's odd cuteness.

The Plan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTP51-tfEHE

I have been considering blogging about the opening sequence of 500 Days of Summer, Going the Distance or Love Actually, all romantic comedies, my favourite film genre. However, I have decided to blog about 500 Days of Summer as the way it has been filmed is completely unique to the other openings, yet it still contains the story about love.